Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 62
Only Noblemtl
Cave ruins (1)
A pitch-black gate measuring 50m in height and 100m in width that steals the attention of anyone who sees it.
The labyrinth, which tempts explorers with the treasures and secrets it holds, has the ability to captivate human souls from the moment it enters.
There are even tourists who get explorer ID cards just to get a close look at the labyrinth gates, so do we really need any further explanation?
However, true explorers who frequently visit labyrinths have felt the excitement to the fullest extent, so their threshold, the minimum stimulus intensity, has been raised to the max.
Taylor, who had lived in the labyrinth for decades as a member of the Breakers before retiring, was one of them.
“I’m bored. Hurry up and let me in.”
Adventurers were lined up in order of the 1st to 20th floors and the 21st to 40th floors, and the first floor, which was the most crowded, always had the longest waiting time.
Strict meritocracy and compensation.
It was a device that gave a sense of satisfaction to those who had already achieved it, and a sense of aspiration to those who were challenged watching from below.
Although some explorers give up in the middle, competition ultimately encourages improvement in ability and continues to infuse clean blood into the labyrinth business.
Alan looked at the next row. The line for explorers who reached floors 21 to 40 was comfortable, so his eyes were drawn to the line using that route.
Taylor, sitting on the wagon, pointed to the expedition team and said:
“That’s Essel Matap, and the ones going in now are the Ibex Mercenaries. They’re all the same, whether they’re mercenaries or troubleshooters, but they know what the word ‘declaration of war’ means. But that doesn’t mean they’re being gentlemanly.”
“Mercenaries are coming in here too. Are they using it for training purposes?”
“It’s the best training ground where you can earn money and gain practical experience. I guess the kids following behind me are new recruits.”
The line dividing the reach class was available to more than half of the entrants if they were qualified. Of course, this was a benefit only given to large organizations or groups.
“We were able to get in comfortably last time, but unfortunately they had to reissue it···.”
“I can’t help it since I’m retired. So, I’ll get through the 20th floor as fast as I can and change the line.”
“Immatigue is a no-no. It’s a word that doesn’t come to mind easily when I see you, but… Hey, let me check if your heart is beating.”
Taylor placed his palm over Alan’s suit, the calm beat of his heart tickling his skin.
“Thank goodness it’s not a golem. Even these days, when I wake up in the morning and see its face, I’m startled.”
Taylor’s pointless jokes were quite effective, making the boring time pass quickly.
After entering, you had to keep walking while keeping an eye out for where the automaton would come out, so there was no time to be bored.
After a long march, Taylor reached the 7th floor and stepped forward when he heard a slam. The sound of a manhole opening brought a smile to his drooping face.
“Let’s do some testing before going down into the cave.”
“Would you like to go first?”
“I’m fine with it. Automatons are more thrilling than orcs. Why is that? They charge forward without fear, and you can’t let your guard down until the end.”
The automatons that appeared were two wolf riders. As expected from a machine that unconditionally opposes intruders, they charged at Taylor as soon as they recognized him.
The sound of metal and rock clashing echoed through the previously quiet maze. As the sound grew louder, the automaton’s momentum grew stronger.
Taylor held the shotgun in his left hand and patted his waistband with his right. He turned the gun toward the first enemy that rushed toward him.
Although it was called a shotgun, it was easier to think of it as a slightly smaller magic bullet launcher. The power was the same. Since the bullets were strengthened with magic engineering, they surpassed the ordinary lead balls of the past.
Boom!
The left hand, reinforced with artificial muscles and joints, rose slightly due to the recoil. Part of the rider’s upper body, which had fully absorbed the force, disappeared.
Even though the rider was gone, the wolf did not give up. It lowered its stance as much as possible, its red eyes shining. The target of its sharp fangs was Taylor’s groin.
The old explorer instinctively furrowed his eyebrows, but he maintained his posture. He kept his gaze fixed, waiting for the wolf to approach.
At the moment of contact, he quickly pulled his hind legs out, turned his body to the side, and at the same time snapped his wrist, which was on his waist.
A blue trail appeared like an aurora and disappeared in an instant. The blue curtain quickly passed over the wolf’s body, and the villain who was aiming for the groin was sliced vertically from nose to buttocks.
“How dare you···.”
Before the two halves of the wolf hit the ground with a loud crash, a blue light flashed inside Taylor’s helmet.
The helmet is Ebi and the light is a sign of magic.
The wolf rider that Taylor had been staring at suddenly crumpled. The wind-type magic [Air Blast] easily dealt with the remaining enemies.
Taylor twisted the handle of the Manasword and put it on his waist. Only then did the severed wolf fall down with a loud noise.
“No problem. The condition is very good. Should I have changed my body into Magic Wear a long time ago?”
“Do you regret it?”
“There’s just one thing. If I had changed it then, I would have received the company subsidy, but I believed in things like the theory of perseverance for no reason…”
Taylor’s head suddenly turned as he stopped talking. He had just caught a lot of signs coming this way. They must have detected the noise of the battle and were approaching.
“I heard footsteps, so it’s automatons. There must be about four of them. Do you want to test it too?”
“I don’t even need to···.”
“Don’t forget to try. Since you’ve equipped your equipment well, it’ll only be rewarding if you use it.”
Whereas the reinforced exoskeleton used to be only on the lower body, it now covers the entire body. No matter how weak Alan was, he could knock down pure orcs who didn’t use magic wear or mana with his fists while wearing the exoskeleton.
In fact, Alan was glad that he could move the heavy materials himself. In the past, it was a hassle to use a pulley or carry it on a cart.
As Alan, pushed forward by Taylor, four automatons emerged from the fog. They were a herd of boars the size of calves.
Taylor held his weapon, looking forward to how Allen would fight. But things didn’t go as expected.
“It’s your turn.”
At Alan’s single word, the crouching leopard ran forward. Thanks to the charging boars, the distance was quickly shortened, and the time of collision was quickly approaching.
The leopard raised its upper body. Its running body rose slightly, and its two free front paws struck the cheeks of the wild boars running on either side.
Crunch! Crunch!
The sound of twisting metal filled the maze with each slash of the beast.
That wasn’t the end of it. The leopard dug its claws into the ground, adjusted the angle of its glide, and slammed the boar into its body.
Knock knock!
The camera eye of a wild boar stuck between the maze wall and the leopard popped out, looking like a fruit stuck in a press.
And the last one. The boar that approached Alan was hit by the cane, and then slid down on its knees and fell to the ground.
Taylor opened his mouth as he watched the battle end in an instant.
“How did you do in the end?”
“The moment the staff touched the torso, the magical signal was distorted.”
“what?”
“The detailed principle is the mana pulse along the magic circuit···.”
“No, stop.”
Taylor quickly cut him off, as if he was going to talk too much. He was curious as to how he could handle the brain-bending magical engineering knowledge without a brain-enhancing device.
I quickly changed the subject in case Alan continued his explanation.
“If we do it right, the leopard can catch the goalkeeper all by itself.”
“Unlike human skin, the goalkeeper’s gloves are too thick, so it’s still difficult. If I help, I might be able to deal with it.”
“Every time I see it, I feel like my standards are too high.”
“Allen said, inspecting the leopard that had brought in the boar.
“I once saw a book in a Lankan garbage dump that explained the four-character idioms of the Eastern Continent. There was one called Yongdusami···.”
“I know that. It doesn’t mean anything good.”
“I think a little differently. The snake was drawn because the dragon was drawn but failed. By the same principle, if you aim for a snake from the beginning and fail, an earthworm will come out.”
“So, you’re going to dream big from the start?”
“yes that’s right.”
Taylor still had a puzzled look on his face. He asked as he loaded the parts Alan handed him onto the cart.
“But that doesn’t explain why the leopard suddenly became stronger.”
“Let me explain it in an easy-to-understand way. [Reinforcement], [Acceleration], [Power]. These are the runes applied to the leopard. But that’s not all. You know about circuit magic, right? Unlike runes that are similar to hieroglyphs, it embodies mysterious phenomena through the flow of magical power running along a line. This time, I changed the positions of the leopard’s patterns a little bit so that it overall took on the appearance of circuit magic. It has the characteristics of runes, but also includes the advantages of circuits overall. The magic applied in this way is ‘Pulverization’. Each and every strike is imbued with mystery, allowing for more efficient attacks. Are you listening?”
Taylor, who missed the right moment to interrupt his explanation because of the loot, was attacked by a knowledge attack.
“Huh? Huh···.”
Taylor, with a soulless face, touched his ear.
“I was having a problem with my auditory organs for a moment, so I was checking them out.”
“Then let me explain it again···.”
“Enough. The desire for knowledge is important, but in a labyrinth, you need to focus.”
“That’s right. You never know when the enemy might pop out.”
Only then did Allen, who was convinced, become quiet, and Taylor, who had succeeded in persuading him, sighed secretly. He was afraid that he would become a school dog. He would learn it naturally, but he did not want to be forced into it.
Alan, who entered the cave, safely reached the beginning of the lower level, the 18th floor. As Taylor had expected while clearing out Greenblood, the enemies on the upper and middle levels were not threatening.
Alan expressed his appreciation for the cave where artificial and natural beauty coexist.
“Every time I come to the cave, I feel that each floor is incredibly large. I finished the battle quickly and rested as little as possible, but it took more than four days.”
“There’s a reason scholars use the term ‘underworld’ when explaining the labyrinth. It’s truly a world, and if you go much deeper, it often takes months. Now, if we just go back there, we’ll be on our way to the fortress…”
Taylor, who was talking, suddenly stopped. He felt a lot of people in front of him.
“It’s not a fight, it’s just standing still.”
“Could these kids be?”
Taylor seemed to know something. As he walked, the black fog gradually dispersed, and the sound of people grew stronger. And in the middle of the passage stood two explorers.
“The Ibex Mercenary Corps is using this place for training. Go somewhere else.”
It was a zone control. This illegal activity was less severe on the 1st to 3rd floors, which were close to the ground, but it was carried out openly below.
The only ones who can afford to do so are explorers who belong to a large organization. There was no way for independent explorers like Alan to do so. They still lack the power and skills.
“Good idea, old man. Hold your grandson’s hand and climb up carefully.”
Alan slowly backed away, muttering softly.
“I knew it, but now that I actually experience it, I’m upset.”
“Because the road is blocked? Or because you can’t get the metal plate or the book?”
“Of course the latter.”
It wasn’t until they were well outside the mercenary-controlled area that Taylor opened his mouth again.
“Is it because of the collectors?”
“You mean the typhoon theory? The occurrence of an accident or a special phenomenon caused by a collision of huge magical powers.”
“How can you understand when I haven’t even finished talking? Who taught you that?”
“Professor Oros from the city university told me.”
“Professor Muscle? You know who he is, Alan.”
“Why are you calling me?”
Taylor called out to Alan again, who continued to look straight ahead.
“Alan.”
“Is there something?”
“You’re finally turning your head.”
“···.”
“It’s not a joke, so don’t look at me with such scary eyes. It’s a similar concept to the typhoon theory. Did you turn around when I called your name?”
“Are you trying to say that even a labyrinth reacts to stimulation?”
“Yeah. Thanks for stealing all my lines. It saves calories. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that something has changed because of the Collector, and they’ve taken over under the pretext of training new recruits. It’s a real farm.”
After speaking, Taylor felt along the cave wall.
“There must be a secret passage leading to the ruins next to the fortress nearby.”
“Is this a path only Breaker knows?”
“As far as I know.”
“I found it.”
As Alan pressed his cane against a part of the wall, a dark passage gaped open.
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